Longhorns' defense rested for Red Raiders

Updated 11:27 pm, Monday, October 31, 2011

UT’s Keenan Robinson (right) and Carrington Byndom force a fumble by Kansas’ Brandon Bourbon in the second half.

UT’s Keenan Robinson (right) and Carrington Byndom force a fumble by Kansas’ Brandon Bourbon in the second half.

Photo: Michael Thomas/Associated Press

Longhorns' defense rested for Red Raiders

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AUSTIN — Blake Gideon woke up Sunday with his mind and his body giving him contradictory messages. He remembered playing a football game the night before. But unlike most mornings after, the senior Texas safety could detect no scratches, no bruises and no aches.

“I don't think I ever hit the ground once,” Gideon said of the Longhorns' 43-0 victory over Kansas on Saturday. “I pushed a guy out of bounds on the first play of the game. And I could've stopped watching the film after that.”

Seldom has a defense achieved so much while doing so little. Thanks to their insistence on stopping the Jayhawks on almost every play and their offensive teammates' clock-gobbling running game, UT's defenders were on the field for just 36 plays Saturday.

They held Kansas to just three first downs, minus-2 yards rushing and 46 yards overall, and they pulled off the Longhorns' first shutout in six years. But afterward, it wasn't like defensive coordinator Manny Diaz was ready to reward them with a parade.

“They just got the pride and admiration of everybody, for about six minutes,” Diaz said.

That was about how long it took the Longhorns to realize they're about to once again be tested by a marquee offense. Texas Tech, which visits Royal-Memorial Stadium this Saturday, ranks fifth nationally with 359 passing yards per game.

The No. 21 Longhorns (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) recently played two other top-5 passing offenses, and neither test went great. Oklahoma reached 300 yards against them in the first half, and Oklahoma State got them so distracted by the aerial show that the Cowboys were able to kill them on the ground.

Now, UT has to face Tech (5-2, 2-2), which piled up 572 total yards in an upset of OU two weeks ago. The Red Raiders' offense was terrible in a 41-7 loss to Iowa State on Saturday, but UT coach Mack Brown said that probably just riled up Tech.

“Iowa State didn't do us any favors,” Brown said.

On the bright side for the Longhorns, they've finally proven they can pressure a quarterback. After getting just seven sacks through its first six games, UT brought down Kansas' Jordan Webb three times and made 11 tackles for loss.

“I feel like it could come in bunches,” defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat said. “That's usually how it is with sacks.”

Ash not No. 1 alone: Despite playing every meaningful offensive snap of UT's last two games, freshman David Ash continues to be listed as a co-first-string quarterback on the Longhorns' depth chart.

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Brown and co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin conceded Ash probably will start the Tech game but insisted UT will continue to develop both Ash and sophomore Case McCoy and give them similar repetitions in practice.

Three could return: Brown said injured defensive back Adrian Phillips (shoulder), wide receiver Jaxon Shipley (knee) and special-teams player Leroy Scott (head) all “have a chance to play” against Tech. Phillips was held out of the Kansas game completely, and Shipley and Scott were hurt during the game.